


Is It Really That Obvious?

by wandering_soul_with_a_writing_goal



Series: Tumblr Requests [1]
Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-22
Updated: 2020-05-22
Packaged: 2021-03-02 21:15:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,354
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24313393
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wandering_soul_with_a_writing_goal/pseuds/wandering_soul_with_a_writing_goal
Summary: Byler + Mutual Pining + First KissThis is one of the first things I've written, so critisism/advice is appreciated!I'm @strangerthingsiscool on Tumblr!Prompt requested by @eraseyourbookofstories on Tumblr
Relationships: Will Byers/Mike Wheeler
Series: Tumblr Requests [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1824508
Comments: 8
Kudos: 60





	Is It Really That Obvious?

**Author's Note:**

> I have no idea how a Family Video works  
> ALSO idk how to do italics. The version WITH the italics in the correct places is on Tumblr!!! UPDATE: I just fixed it :)

Will had gotten over his crush on Mike… or so he told himself. He told himself this so often that he almost believed it to be true. But that all went down the drain whenever he saw his best friend, an impossibly adorkable boy with fluffy hair and the most amazing, toothy smile. And the eyes, of course. The brown eyes that Will would just get lost in. No matter what Mike did, it turned Will into a blushy, admiring mess.

Having a crush wasn’t so bad, Will told himself, but having hope that they liked you back was. Because then you’d cling onto the false hope and only get disappointed, and things would be awkward, and your whole soul would be crushed. His soul had already been crushed several times once Mike fell in love with Eleven. Will loved spending time with Mike, but every time he saw El he had to remember that  _ Mike liked her better _ . And that kind of sucked.

But, Will could get over it. He’d gotten over living through a week in the Upside Down, and the trauma that came after it. He’d gotten over literally being possessed. So, why was it so difficult to get over a tiny little crush?

But it was more than just a tiny crush, no matter how much Will lied to himself.

Mike was thrilled that the Byers’ were coming back to town. It was only for the weekend, of course, but he couldn’t help feeling excited for another chance to see his two best friends, Will and El. Mike considered all of his friends to be his best friends, but these two were just a little bit closer to his heart.

Mike had also discovered recently that he had… feelings for Will. Certain feelings that boys shouldn’t have for other boys. He kinda… liked him. Maybe even loved him.

Mike hadn’t seen either of them since he’d come to this realization. He was nervous. But excited.

* * *

When the Byers family car pulled up in the driveway, Mike sprinted to the front yard, passing a very confused Nancy.

Joyce stepped out of the car, followed by El and Will. Jonathan was busy with some school assignments at his university, so he couldn’t come.

Will couldn’t help feeling relaxed seeing the place that he considered his second home. Of course, there were several layers of hurt and awkward feelings and rejection there, which hadn’t been patched up, but beneath that the comfort of Mike Wheeler’s house shone through, enveloping him and almost soothing his anxiety.

But not quite.

Mike burst through the door, broke into an infectious grin, and ran forward to hug El. Wait, no. He was coming towards Will.

Will felt himself being pulled into a tight embrace, and he couldn’t help but feel warm and also confused. Mike must have been confused as well, because he quickly broke away from Will and cast his eyes downward.  _ He’s probably disgusted by me _ , Will thought.

“Uh. Hi.” Mike said coolly. Will was impressed how he could change so quickly from the smiling boy of Will’s childhood to chill, teen Mike.

Will, whose eyes had also been on the floor, risked a look at Mike’s face. Which was red.  _ Probably from letting go of me so quickly. _ Will dropped his eyes quickly to the floor again.

Realizing he hadn’t responded, Will spoke in a calm voice, because two could play at that game. “Hey.”

Will looked back at Mike’s face, and was surprised to see two eyes focused on him. Two very beautiful eyes.

They kept eye contact for a few moments, Will trying to read Mike’s gaze. What was he thinking about? Why did he hug me first? Did he… miss Will? I mean, he obviously did. As a friend.

Will could have sworn that Mike glanced down at his lips. But before he could determine if it was real, the moment was broken by El, who called for Mike. He quickly ran to her and pulled her into a hug. After the two broke apart, El looked directly at Will and smirked.

_ What just happened? _

Will tried not to overthink things. But that wasn’t very easy.

* * *

Mike, Will, and El said a quick “Hello” to Nancy before taking off to the Video Store, where they would meet Max, Lucas, and Dustin. Mike, the tallest of the three, rode Nancy’s bike, while Will and El both squeezed onto Mike’s bike. They were bigger than they’d once been, so it was a tight fit.

The three arrived at the store and parked their bikes before entering the Video Store quickly to see their friends. Mike watched the excitement on Will’s face at seeing the rest of The Party. Dustin, Max, and Lucas took turns hugging Will and El, making comments on Will’s new haircut, which Mike had definitely noticed and liked a bit too much.

Soon, the six of them, reunited, fell into their old dynamic, goofing around in the aisles of the store, looking for any R-Rated movies they could sneak out (but probably not watch). They also grabbed a stack of sci-fi and fantasy movies which they would actually watch. But it was fun to sneak around Steve and trick him into breaking the rules.

They passed a shelf and Mike saw a copy of his all-time favorite movie, Star Wars: The Empire Strikes back. He reached out to grab it, but his hand was met by another hand. Will’s. They’d both, unknowingly, reached for the same movie.

Mike felt himself become a stuttery mess as he tried to speak. He put his hand into his jacket pocket and looked straight at the movie while saying, “You were-- I mean-- you can grab it.” Before Will could respond, Mike briskly walked away, his face warming, and tried to get back to joking with the Party, resisting the urge to look back at him. Play it cool.

If the party noticed something off about Mike, they didn’t mention it. Mike found himself making eye contact with a laughing El, then looking down at her hand, which was entwined with Max’s.

They checked out with their stack of movies, Star Wars being at the top. Robin was running the register, which meant probably no R movie.

She scanned all of the movies, (their trick didn’t work) and handed them all to Dustin. He triumphantly began to march away, and the rest of the Party followed him, laughing.

Mike lingered behind. He didn’t know why. But this was Steve’s friend who, according to Dustin, liked girls. Mike probably wasn’t supposed to know this, seeing as he had heard it from Dustin, who had heard it from Steve, who apparently heard it directly from Robin herself.

“What’s up, kid?” she slightly rolled her eyes at him, but also looked genuinely curious.

Mike spoke with a courage that he didn’t have.

“I, uh… you like girls, right?” he said, slowly and quietly.

Robin raised her eyebrows. “Depends. Is your sister interested?”

Mike shook his head. “No, I… I mean… I was wondering--”

“Ah. You like him.”

“What?” Mike knew he was definitely blushing.

“The brunette one. About yay high, way quieter than the others. You like him.”

Mike gave up trying to deny it. He sighed. “What makes you say that?”

“It’s like,  _ so obvious _ . Like, I barely saw you for ten minutes and I could see it.” She smirked at him.

Mike groaned in reply. “Is it really that obvious?”

She nodded slightly and said, “Well… Hey, you better catch up with them. And hey, good luck, kid. I’m sure you’ll both figure things out soon.”

Mike was confused. He slightly shook his head, then walked quickly out of the building, leaving Robin to smile at the knowledge of  _ these two pining idiots. _

* * *

The Party went back to Mike’s house and watched a few of the movies before getting a call from Max’s parents. She was needed at home immediately. Will could see the look of worry on her face, and sympathized with her. Eventually, Dustin and Lucas also had to go home.

The Byers, of course, were staying with the Wheelers. Will, Mike, and El finished watching The Thing before El claimed she was tired and climbed up the stairs to Nancy’s room, where she’d be staying. Will wanted to yell, “No! Don’t abandon me!” Because this was the part of the night that Will was dreading. Being alone with Mike. He’d also been waiting with anxious anticipation. Still, he’d wanted to avoid it for as long as possible.

There were a few moments of silence before Mike said, “Wanna watch Star Wars?”

Will nodded, grateful that Mike hadn’t made things weird. It was just two friends, watching a movie. That was all.

But as the opening text started to scroll along the screen, Will was watching Mike. He loved seeing excitement enter Mike’s face as his favorite movie played. Then his feelings turned around and punched him in the gut as he remembered that Mike didn’t care about him anymore. Not in the way he used to, and not in the way Will wanted him to. Will still remembered every vivid detail of their fight, and how Mike had called him out, and how Mike  _ knew _ . Or, maybe he didn’t. Before he knew it, he was breathing heavily and staring at the floor, expressionless.

It took a few moments for Will to realize that the TV had been muted, and that Mike was walking away from the TV and towards Will, face full concern, as well as… nerves?

“What’s wrong, Will? Do you… wanna talk?”

Will was completely silenced for a good five seconds. Nerves had taken over his senses.

Mike spoke again before Will could respond. “I mean, uh… if you want to… Or we could just…” he trailed off.

Will felt a flood of emotions rush through him, trying to escape. He spoke in a somewhat steady voice, despite everything he was thinking about.

“I wish we could go back to how things were.”

The words were quiet, but effective. There was an astounding silence. Mike felt like he’d been punched in the throat.

Because it was Mike who’d ruined the future of their friendship. By being so ignorant and angry. And now, things would never be the same. There would never be anything more between the two of them. Because why would Will like such an angry person?

“Well, we can’t, okay?” The words came across a bit harsher than Mike wanted them to sound.

Another deep silence, this time Will feeling like he’d just been slapped.

“I know.” Will said, breaking the quiet. Of course he knew this. Will felt his emotions rising. He knew that Mike thought he was a freak, and, well, since they were “talking”, what better time for Will to explain to Mike all of this stuff?

“I know that you think that I’m a freak,” Will began, angry. “But that doesn’t excuse your shitty behavior. Just because you like girls doesn’t mean that you can abandon your best friend!” He was shouting at this point, releasing pain in the form of anger. “Even if we never-- I mean, even if you hate me.”

This word choice intrigued Mike. What was Will going to say before he cut himself off?

Could there be a chance?

Nevermind, that didn’t matter. Will was hurting. And Mike was going to fix it.

Mike, instead of arguing, pulled Will into a hug. This hug wasn’t quick or unexpected like the one from earlier that day. This was slow and comforting. Will didn’t push Mike away, but clung to him and let the tears fall. The two boys held each other for a long time, and there was nothing awkward about it to them. They’d been doing this forever.

They finally broke apart. Mike had something important to say. He looked right into Will’s eyes.

“I don’t think you’re a freak.”

Will sighed and shook his head. “No, you don’t  _ get  _ it, Mike. I am a freak. I… well… I…” He couldn’t say it.

Mike desperately, more than anything, wanted Will to feel normal, and loved. And if no one else was going to, Mike would be the one to tell Will that he… 

The secret threatened to come out.

Well, if it wanted to… 

Mike took in a shaky breath before taking possibly the biggest risk of his life.

“I like you, Will. No, wait. I love you.”

Will gasped quietly. Then he stopped. Don’t have hope. That’s the only rule. “You’re playing with me,” Will said.

Mike hesitated, then shook his head. “I love you, so, no matter what shit you’re going through, you’ll never be more of a freak than me, the freak who… who loves… who’s gay.”

Will looked up slowly. “Gay? So… you don’t like girls?”

Mike shook his head. “Only you.”

Will spoke slowly, almost allowing himself to believe it. “Well, then I’m a bigger freak, because I’m the freak who loves Mike Wheeler.” Will broke into a grin as Mike’s expression turned to shock.

“No. No way.” Mike shook his head, trying to stop a smile.

“Yes, way. So, I win. I’m the freak here.”

The relief in the air was prominent. It was so light that both of them could have floated. Star Wars was still playing silently in the background, but neither of them noticed.

The two of them looked into each other's eyes with pure understanding and affection. Will chuckled, and so did Mike, and they both kept gazing at each other.

Will saw Mike glance at his lips. This time he knew it wasn’t fake.

Then, Mike slowly leaned in towards Will, meeting his eyes to make sure it was okay. Will nodded slightly, and leaned to meet his lips to Mike’s.

The kiss spread warmth all the way through both boys, as they finally found each other. Mike couldn’t stifle his happiness, while Will was still in shock. Either way, they accepted it and embraced it.

As they broke apart, Mike whispered something to Will.

“You’re  _ my _ freak.”


End file.
